El Corte Inglés's employers' association joins Federation of International Retail Associations (FIRA)

Madrid – La Distribución Anged (Anged), the Spanish business organisation representing the interests of retail companies such as El Corte Inglés, Carrefour, C&A and Pepco, has decided to raise its international influence. It has joined the Federation of International Retail Associations (FIRA) as a new full member. The federation comprises a total of 38 business organisations from 24 countries.

By joining, it has become the only Spanish representative in the influential international federation of retail business associations to date. According to La Distribución, its inclusion in FIRA reflects its strong international profile as a business organisation. This nature is supported by its members, as it represents the interests of both Spanish and foreign companies. It is also reinforced by its agreements and alliances. Anged is a member of EuroCommerce, the main European organisation representing the retail and wholesale sector; it has collaboration agreements with entities such as BusinessEurope and the European Round Table for Industry (ERT); and it is part of the EU Trade Champions Network.

This network is an initiative launched by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Trade to analyse the Union's trade policy. Anged's participation in this “network of experts” demonstrates the business organisation's growing influence at a European level. This is particularly evident with the European Commission, which has also appointed it as the retail sector's representative on the civil society participation platform that advises the Commission on the implementation of the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement.

“We are an association of national and international retailers and therefore have a global outlook,” stated Matilde García Duarte, president of La Distribución Anged. Based on this nature, she added in a statement from the organisation's management, “it is vital for us to broaden our focus, view domestic issues in perspective and learn from international best practices.” Regarding these objectives, she added, “FIRA is a unique forum” from which “to understand retail opportunities and collaboratively address the common challenges” facing retail companies.

38 business organisations from 24 countries

Currently chaired by Jacques Creyssel of France, FIRA presents itself as a “global community” open to international trade and business associations in the retail sector. Upon joining, these organisations are given access to meetings, events and reports, including all those produced by the National Retail Federation (NRF). The NRF is the largest retail trade association in the US and serves as the permanent secretariat of FIRA.

Through this close relationship, all FIRA members not only gain direct participation in meetings and activities organised by the federation but also receive a complimentary associate membership with the NRF. The NRF annually hosts the Retail’s Big Show international congress and trade fair in New York. This event is considered one of the largest and most influential in the global retail industry and is where FIRA holds its annual meeting. This scheduling helps to promote the visibility of its members and their respective companies. It also reinforces FIRA's role as a forum for jointly addressing the realities and challenges facing the retail sector.

To this end, and as affiliated members of FIRA, the business federation currently includes a total of 38 business organisations from 24 countries. La Distribución Anged has now joined this list as the sole representative from Spain. It will begin sharing a space for analysis and debate on the sector's reality with the Australian Retailers Association, the Large Format Retail Association and the National Online Retailers Association (Australia); the Austrian Retail Association (Austria); Comeos, Ecommerce Europe and EuroCommerce (Belgium); the Chamber of Industry, Commerce, Services and Tourism of Santa Cruz (Bolivia); the Brazilian Society of Retail and Consumption, the Brazilian Association of Commercial Automation, the Brazilian Franchise Association, the National Confederation of Shopkeepers, the Brazilian Retail Development Institute and The Brazilian Ecommerce Association (Brazil); the Quebec Retail Council and the Retail Council of Canada (Canada); the China Chain Store & Franchise Association and the China General Chamber of Commerce (China); The Danish Chamber of Commerce (Denmark); the Retail Business Group (Dubai); the Finnish Commerce Federation (Finland); the Federation of Commerce and Distribution Companies and the International Association of Department Stores (France); the German E-Commerce and Distance Selling Trade Association, the EHI Retail Institute and the German Retail Federation (Germany); the Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (Greece); the Retailers Association of India (India); Retail Excellence Ireland (Ireland); the Netcomm consortium and the Retail Institute Italy (Italy); the Japan Retailers Association (Japan); the National Association of Self-Service and Department Stores (Mexico); Virke - the Enterprise Federation of Norway (Norway); the Singapore Retailers Association (Singapore); the Swedish Trade Federation (Sweden); the Intercontinental Group of Department Stores (Switzerland); and finally, the National Retail Federation (US).